Cambridge High School Library 2025

  Check out the review lower down- but this cover had to be posted! 

 By: Randy Ribay Location: FIC RIB Genre: Realistic Fiction This is not the sort of book I typically pick up, but it was so good! A beautiful multi-generational story about immigration, ideas of masculinity, how we try to do better for our children, and how painful history is often buried.- Bethany A novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught father-son relationships. Watsonville, 1930.  Francisco Maghabol barely ekes out a living in the fields of California. As he spends what little money he earns at dance halls and faces increasing violence from white men in town, Francisco wonders if he should’ve never left the Philippines. Stockton, 1965.  Between school days full of prejudice from white students and teachers and night shifts working at his aunt’s restaurant, Emil refuses to follow in the footsteps of his labor organizer father, Francisco. He’s going to make it in this country no matter what or who he...

 By: John Scalzi Location: FIC SCA Genre: SCI FI computer-savvy cats  This feels very present day! Warning: supervillain in training. Risk of world domination. Locus and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi brings us Starter Villain, a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference. This one comes with a hidden headquarters, minions, talking cats and villainous rivals worthy of James Bond. Divorced, broke and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie hasn’t been loving life. Then he finds out his recently deceased Uncle Jake has left him a top-secret, international supervillain business. And, as if this wasn’t problematic enough, Jake’s vengeful rivals ambush the funeral. Charlie must decide if he should stay stuck in his rut, or step up to take on the business, the enemies, the minions, the hidden volcano lair . . . Even harder to get used to are the talking, computer-savvy cats – and the fact that they’re management. If Charlie says yes to his inheritance, could ...

 By: Katrina Nannestad Location: FIC NAN Genre: Historical Fiction Based on a true story this is harrowing and moving. A beautiful story of sibling love, survival against the odds and heartbreaking. This “hauntingly atmospheric” ( Kirkus Reviews , starred review), heart-stopping middle grade novel follows three of the Wolfskinder, German children left to fend for themselves in the final days of World War II, as they struggle to hold onto themselves and each other while surviving in the wild. Sometimes it’s good to be wild. Sometimes, you have to be. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of World War II, the Wolf family must flee. Being caught by the Russians or the Americans would be the end for them. Liesl, Otto, and baby Mia’s father has already been captured, and they get separated from their mother in a blizzard after only a few days on the run. Liesl had promised Mama that she’d keep her brother and sister safe, no matter what. They’ll forage in the forest...

 By: Kiyoshi Shigematsu   Location: FIC SHI Genre: Around the World Seven struggling customers are given the unique opportunity to take home a "blanket cat" . . . but only for three days, the time it’ll take to change their lives. A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers the unique opportunity to take home one of seven special cats, whose "magic" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. In  The Blanket Cats , we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality, including a couple struggling with infertility, a middle-aged woman on the run from the police, and two families in very different circumstances simply seeking joy. But like all their kind, the "blanket cats" are mysterious creature...

 By: Brandon Sanderson Location: On the Sanderson Shelf Genre: Sanderson “An oath could be broken, but a promise? A promise stood as long as you were still trying. A promise understood that sometimes your best wasn’t enough. A promise cried with you when all went to Damnation. A promise came to help when you could barely stand. Because a promise knew that sometimes, being there was all you could offer.” The long-awaited explosive climax to the first arc of the #1 New York Times bestselling Stormlight Archive―the iconic epic fantasy masterpiece that has sold more than 10 million copies, from acclaimed bestselling author Brandon Sanderson. Dalinar Kholin challenged the evil god Odium to a contest of champions with the future of Roshar on the line. The Knights Radiant have only ten days to prepare―and the sudden ascension of the crafty and ruthless Taravangian to take Odium’s place has thrown everything into disarray. Desperate fighting continues simultaneously worldwide―Adolin in Azi...

 By: Juleitte Marillier   Location: FIC MAR Genre: Fantasy Stasya lives in an isolated farming village on the edge of the mysterious Heartwood Forest with her unusual dog for company. Thought odd by the locals, she is tolerated for her rare gift with animals. Engaging with her fellow humans is difficult, with one goatherd Lukas, who shares her love of storytelling. The peace of Heartwood is shattered when a group of soldiers descends, under orders from the Ruler of the Northlands. Their to hack a path through the forest and find the fabled treasure said to lie deep within. Under the grueling decree, Stasya’s village falls into chaos. The task is clearly impossible. The forest is alive with bears and wolves, and the old tales speak of evil spirits, monsters and uncanny beings. Nobody has ever gone deep into Heartwood Forest and returned safe and well. When Stasya raises her voice in protest she is removed from her beloved home and transported to court – a different world. ...

 By: Freya Finch Location: FIC FIN Genre: Mythology A stunning, incredible Norse mythology YA with Valkyries in the human world trying to stop Ragnarök. The action and adventure of Percy Jackson meets the complex heroines of The Cruel Prince as a family of valkyries fight to stop Ragnarök. For seventeen-year-old Bryn, being the youngest, messiest, most rebellious sister in a family of valkyries isn’t easy. Especially considering home is a Renaissance faire in Chicago full of costumed workers who see her as nothing more than a nuisance. When her mother disappears on a mission for Odin, Bryn begins having strange visions about the impending Ragnarök. Bryn senses their mother is in great danger, but her annoyingly perfect older sisters refuse to take her seriously. Their mother is, after all, captain of the valkyries. Things only take a turn for the worse when a half human, half giant named Juniper crashes the party with a violent zombie in tow, confirming Bryn’s worst fears—her visio...

 By: Ellen O'Clover Location: FIC OCL Genre: Romance From the critically acclaimed author of Seven Percent of Ro Devereux comes another nuanced, heartrending, and ultimately healing novel, about a rising college freshman forced to spend a summer with the self-help superstar mother she’s never felt truly connected to. Years before Audrey St. Vrain was born, her mother, Camilla, shot to fame with Letters to My Someday Daughter, a self-help book encouraging women to treat themselves with the same love and care they’d treat their own daughters. While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla’s family. Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla’s daughter, and she’s looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before...

 By: Marie Arnold  Location: FIC ARN Genre: Roman ce For fans of Never Have I Ever and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before comes a hilarious and heartfelt YA contemporary about a young Haitian girl navigating high school, friendship, and crushes.  Fifteen-year-old Fancy Augustine is a Haitian American girl with simple desires. She’d like to trade in her floppy, oversize boobs for cute, perky ones. She’d love a boyfriend. And she’s desperate for an invite to the biggest event of the school Imani Park’s birthday party. When Fancy learns her BFF, Tilly, has received a coveted invite and has a secret boyfriend, she is (understandably) devastated and wholeheartedly determined to do whatever it takes to get her own happily ever after. So what if she makes a deal with the devil (Imani) that guarantees her an invite—but only if she can bring a boyfriend? And what’s so bad about letting her crush, Rahim, believe that she can create a voodoo potion for him in exchange for him posing ...

 By: Freida McFadden Location: FIC MCF Genre: Thriller  GRATEFUL FOR THIS BOOK because it yanked me out of my reading slump!!! It kept my attention, and I actually liked all the pieces of the story! Not my favorite Freida, but I good junky thriller if you need to kickstart your reading - Abbie The nightmare she’s running from is nothing compared to where she’s headed. Tegan is  eight months pregnant , alone, and desperately wants to put her crumbling life in the rearview mirror. So she hits the road, planning to stay with her brother until she can figure out her next move. But she doesn’t realize  she’s heading straight into a blizzard . She never arrives at her destination. Stranded in rural Maine with a  dead car and broken ankle , Tegan worries she’s made a terrible mistake. Then a miracle she is rescued by a couple who offers her a room in their warm cabin until the snow clears. But something isn’t right. Tegan believed she was waiting out the storm, but as ...

 By: Catherine Doyle Location: FICX DOY Genre: Romantasy “When the world is at its darkest, we must reach bravely through the shadows to find where the light blooms. ” In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love… In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy the Cloaks and the Daggers – the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, 17-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city? Nothing can prepare Sera for the moment she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of Daggers. And Ransom is shocked to discover that...

  By: Yangsze Choo  Location: FIX CHO Genre: Fantasy Some people think foxes are similar to ghosts because we go around collecting  qi ,  but nothing could be further than the truth. We are living creatures, just like you,  only usually better looking . . . Manchuria, 1908. In the last years of the dying Qing Empire, a courtesan is found frozen in a doorway. Her death is clouded by rumors of foxes, which are believed to lure people by transforming themselves into beautiful women and handsome men. Bao, a detective with an uncanny ability to sniff out the truth, is hired to uncover the dead woman’s identity. Since childhood, Bao has been intrigued by the fox gods, yet they’ve remained tantalizingly out of reach—until, perhaps, now. Meanwhile, a family who owns a famous Chinese medicine shop can cure ailments but can’t escape the curse that afflicts them—their eldest sons die before their twenty-fourth birthdays. When a disruptively winsome servant named Snow enter...

 By: Jason Pargin   Location: FIV PAR Genre: Thriller A standalone darkly humorous thriller set in modern America's age of anxiety, by  New York Times  bestselling author Jason Pargin. Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC. But there are rules: He cannot look inside the box. He cannot ask questions. He cannot tell anyone. They must leave immediately. He must leave all trackable devices behind. As these eccentric misfits hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war. The truth promises to be even stranger, and may change how you see the world. This book was fun, thrilling, and had great characters. I could not wait until the end to find out what was in the box, and it was definitely a shock. More than the story of ...

 By: Michael Crichton and James Patterson   Location: FIC PAT Genre: Thriller Are you a fan of heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat natural disaster stories? If so, you need to check out this book! It has everything you could want in a volcanic thriller. Imagine a volcano about to blow, with the power to unleash the worst disaster ever seen. From the moment you start reading, you'll be hooked. The tension builds with every page as the characters face impossible choices and race against time. You'll find yourself rooting for them, hoping they make the right decisions to survive the impending doom. "Eruption" is a gripping read that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. If you love natural disaster stories, this book is a must-read! A once-in-a-century volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. But a decades-old military secret could turn the volcano into something even more terrifying... Now it’s up to a handful of brave individuals...

 By: Ferdia Lennon   Location: FIC LEN Genre: Mythology The book you never knew you needed in your life. Glorious Exploits is madness. Nothing about it should work. It's like Kevin Barry-meets-Homer . And yet. And yet. It is absolutely brilliant. So enjoyable. So funny and satisfying. So sad and brutal and glorious. It is about war and art and literature and friendship and love and family and community. I loved it fully and hope it finds many readers. “The hearts of men are alike wherever you go. The rest is scenery.” ―  Ferdia Lennon,  Glorious Exploits Ancient Sicily. Enter GELON: visionary, dreamer, theatre lover. Enter LAMPO: lovesick, jobless, in need of a distraction. Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads. They’re fading in the baking heat, but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food. ...

 By: Randy  Ribay Location: FIC RIB Genre: Sports  A gripping, heart-pounding story with incredible characters who were complex and funny and heartbreaking and real. I wanted to underline so many lines, and I wanted to stay in Bunny and Nasir's world forever. Suspenseful, powerful, complicated and deeply moving. Review by Kelly A powerful novel about friendship, basketball, and one teen's mission to create a better life for his family in the tradition of Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers.     * “Belongs on the shelf alongside contemporary heavy-hitters like Angie Thomas’s  The Hate U Give , Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds’s  All-American Boys , and Nic Stone’s  Dear Martin ." — School Library Journal , starred review     Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spend...

 By: Tricia Levenseller Location: FUC LEV Genre: Romantasy By hiding her intelligence and ambition behind the mask of a beautiful air-headed girl, she has become a wealthy duchess. And, once her elderly husband dies, she will have all the freedom, money, and safety she's ever wanted. Or so she thought. A man claiming to be the estranged grandson of Chrysantha's lecherous late husband has turned up to steal her inheritance. To make matters worse, her little sister is going to be queen and is rubbing it in her face. Chrysantha decides that the only thing to do is upstage Alessandra at her own wedding. And as for this grandson, he has to go. Never mind that he's extremely handsome and secretive with mysterious powers... No, Chrysantha wants Eryx Demos dead, and in the end, a Stathos girl always gets what she wants. Review by Amy: I really, really enjoyed this. Hit me in all the right feels, great use of fast pacing/bare bones storytelling, and a fun time.